You have to feel sorry for the poor aravah, the willow branch
waved together with the other three species of the arba’ahminim on Succoth. It lacks the fragrance of the etrog and the
myrtle, and, unlike the date-palm, it has no fruit. The willow
has come to represent the simple folk who are neither learned in
Torah nor respected for numerous good deeds.

And yet, according to an ancient oral tradition, the aravah
becomes the star of the show on Hoshanah Rabbah, the last day of
the Succoth holiday. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the
kohanim would raise tall willow boughs around the altar. In
synagogues nowadays, after waving all four species, we set aside
the other three species and raise the willow alone. And then, at
the end of the Hoshanah prayers, the congregants beat the willow
on the floor.

Why does the lowly willow merit this special attention? And what
is the meaning of the age-old custom of striking the floor with
willow branches?

Sabbath Desecration in Jaffa

Rav Kook related the following story one holiday evening in his
sukkah. The incident took place in Jaffa, where Rav Kook served
as chief rabbi from 1904 to 1914. One Shabbat day, a secular
photographer came and disturbed the Sabbath peace in a religious
neighborhood. In total disregard for the local religious
sensibilities, he set up his tripod and camera in the middle of
the street and began taking pictures.

This public desecration of the Sabbath deeply angered the local
residents. One man who was particularly incensed by the
photographer’s insensitivity took a pail of water and thoroughly
soaked the Sabbath-desecrater. Naturally, the photographer was
indignant. He was so confident in the justice of his cause that
he registered a complaint against the water-douser — at the beitdin
(religious court) of the rabbi of Jaffa, Rav Kook.

Rav Kook told the photographer, “I see that you fail to
understand the severity of desecrating the Sabbath in public, but
you should realize that your action was a serious affront to the
community. You entered a neighborhood of Sabbath-observers and
offended them deeply.

“Or course, the correct course of action for the residents would
have been to rebuke you verbally. Perhaps you would have
understood the seriousness of your actions and stopped. Had that
man consulted with me first, I would have advised him not to
throw water on you.

“However, he didn’t ask, but reacted spontaneously. You should
know that on occasion, such impulsive reactions are justified.
When people disregard societal norms and cross accepted
boundaries, regardless of the implications for others, it is
often the spontaneous reaction that most effectively prevents
future abuse.

“Such an occasion took place when the Israelites were in the
desert and Pinchas responded, not accordingly to the normative
Halachah, but as a zealot: “Kena'im pogim bo” (‘Zealots punish
them’ — Num. 25:6-8; Sanhedrin 82a). If Pinchas had asked
beforehand, he would have been instructed not to kill Zimri. But
since his act was done sincerely and served to prevent future
violations, his zealous deed was approved after the fact.”

The Boethusians and the Willow

What about the willow and Succoth? Rav Kook continued his
explanation that evening:

The lowly willow represents the common folk, unlearned and
lacking exceptional deeds. Yet, these ‘willows’ are blessed with
an abundance of common sense and are unencumbered by
sophisticated calculations. As a result, they have filled
important roles in the history of the Jewish people.

In Talmudic times, there was a sect called the Boethusians who
disagreed with many of the rulings of the Sages. One disagreement
concerned the willow ceremony. The Boethusians prohibited
observing this ceremony on the Sabbath. One year, when Hoshanah
Rabbah fell on the Sabbath, the Boethusians took the willows and
covered them with stones. They knew the Rabbis would not permit
moving the stones on the Sabbath since stones are muktzeh
(various categories of objects, such as stones, money, and work tools,
that the Rabbis prohibited to be handled on the Sabbath in order
to safeguard the sanctity of the day).

On Shabbat morning, however, some simple folk who were ignorant
about the prohibition of muktzeh pulled out the willow boughs
from under the stones. Then the kohanim were able to raise the
willows alongside the altar (Sukkah 43b).

Why does the Talmud emphasize that this praiseworthy act was
performed by common folk? By covering the boughs with stones, the
Boethusians had placed the Sages in a quandary. If the willow
boughs were not used, the Boethusians could cite this as proof
that the rabbis had conceded to their opinion that willows should
not be raised on the Sabbath. On the other hand, if the rabbis
decided to move the stones, the Boethusians could have announced
that the rabbinic prohibition of muktzeh had been abolished.

Fortunately, the problem never materialized. The simple Jews
resolved the dilemma in their own typical manner. They did not
ask questions; rather, alarmed by the scandal, they responded by
simply removing the willows from under the stones.

The Role of the Willow

The custom to hit the floor with willows does not mean that we
wish to ‘punish’ the willow, as is often thought, for its lack of
Torah and good deeds. Rather, it is meant to demonstrate that the
willow is also a force to be reckoned with — a natural, healthy
power that is part of the arsenal of the Jewish people. We do not
strike the willow. We strike with the willow.